Boonville Parks Director Gary Nauman answered a few questions regarding the up-and-coming opening of the Boonville Aquatic Center on May 25. Nauman is expecting a better turnout this year.

When is the Aquatic Center going to open?

Saturday, May 25th at 1:00 p.m.

What are you planning for as far as attendance this year?

We were pleasantly surprise at the end of last season to have exceeded 2011’s numbers at 27,175. Our hopes are to have an even higher attendance in 2013.

How have the last two years gone? Better than expected?

The first two years have been great. The first season was a huge learning curve which leveled out in 2012. The attendance numbers for the first two years exceeded our expectations. One of the biggest surprises was where people came from to use the Aquatic Center. We have had folks from Marshall, Sedalia, Columbia, California, Glasgow and Otterville to name a few. We are very pleased with the facility. It is well constructed and we have had few problems.

Are there any changes you are implementing for this season?

Not many. There will be a slight increase in admission prices. Day pass rates have increased by 25 cents and the season passes have increased by $15. We conducted an informal poll on our Facebook page in January and may start having “adult only” swims one night a week. If we do that, we would admit adults over 16 only after 6:30 p.m. and stay open until 8:30 p.m. We have not made a final decision yet, so stay tuned. We have also bought additional deck furniture.

Do you have any future plans for the center?

We are always looking for ways to improve the facility. The biggest thing of course, would be to add the Lazy River. If you remember, it was in the original plan in 2004, but had to be removed when we started the re-design in 2009. The Park Board has placed the Lazy River in the Five Year Plan for fiscal year 2015, but funding may be an issue. The projected cost to add the Lazy River is $1 Million.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would like to thank the community for their support and invite everyone to visit the Aquatic Center in 2013.